Light-emitting diode (LED) structures are typically epitaxially grown on sapphire substrates. Many products currently use LED devices, including lighting, computer monitors, and other display devices.
The growth of gallium nitride based LED structures on a sapphire substrate is a heteroepitaxial growth process since the substrate and the epitaxial layers are composed of different materials. Due to the heteroepitaxial growth process, the epitaxially grown material can exhibit a variety of adverse effects, including reduced uniformity and reductions in metrics associated with the electronic/optical properties of the epitaxial layers. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved methods and systems related to epitaxial growth processes and substrate structures.